1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computers. More particularly, embodiments relate to the enhancement of computer architectures having simultaneous threads of execution.
2. Discussion
As the demand for enhanced functionality in modern day computers continues to grow, a number of challenges are presented to processor designers as well as manufacturers. For example, a steady increase in the usage of Internet and multi-media applications has resulted in multiple processes, or threads of execution, simultaneously demanding access to processor and memory resources. While advances such as hyper-threading, which enables a single processor to run multiple threads simultaneously, have increased processor throughput, considerable room for improvement remains. In particular, the conventional approach is to couple the logical component of the thread to the physical component of the thread. Unfortunately, coupling the logical component of the thread to the physical component of the thread can present problems with regard to throughput as well as speculation. For example, one approach to increasing throughput would be to increase the number of simultaneous threads. Physical resources in a given processor are limited, however, by a number of cost factors that relate to design as well as manufacturing. As a result, the extent to which processor throughput can be increased by increasing the number of threads is constrained by practical concerns. There is therefore a need for a multi-threading approach that enables the effective number of simultaneous threads to be increased without requiring an increase in the actual number of threads.
Furthermore, speculation, which would enable the logical component to execute on more than one of the thread physical components, cannot be achieved under the conventional technique of coupling the logical component of each thread to the physical component of the thread. As a result, the extent to which processor performance can be improved is also limited. There is therefore a need for a multi-threading approach that enables speculative execution.